Thompson said: "I would not like to think that Saido Berahino is their prime target as a striker.

"Yes, Liverpool do need a striker with injuries to Daniel Sturridge and the difficulties that Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli have had at the football club.

"Brendan Rodgers likes his forwards to have pace. You see Raheem Sterling currently playing as an out-and-out centre forward, and he has done very well, but maybe he does not possess the finishing quality of Berahino.

"I think that Liverpool need someone who is a bit more established and who has played at a higher level like Gonzalo Higuain or Ezequiel Lavezzi, somebody of that ilk to come in following the news about Steven Gerrard’s departure."